Seren
Seren (pronounced SEH-ren) is the crystalline goddess of the elves, who formerly existed within a fractured state after shattering herself into shards of crystal at the end of the Gielinorian God Wars. As part of the Light Within quest Seren was reformed in the Sixth Age through the Song of Restoration, with elements of her physical body being combined with elven crystal farmed on the elven homeplane of Tarddiad. Seren is the divine aspect of light and of Gielinor's anima mundi according to the gnomes, although all transcendent gods have a degree of power over the anima mundi. She is also responsible for teaching the Rituals of Rejuvenation and Enervation to the Mahjarrat. Seren, along with Zaros, was created by the Elder God Mah. Where Seren represents light, Zaros represents darkness: this binds the two and compels them to each other when in close proximity. When Zaros and Seren are near each other, they are charmed by each other, which Zaros thinks is controlled by Mah. Seren is described by Zaros to be driven more by emotion, whilst Zaros by logical reasoning. She had a close relationship with the god of balance, Guthix, who brought her to Gielinor from Tarddiad during the First Age through the World Gate, along with the elves. They settled in Tirannwn and built the great city of Prifddinas which is the oldest surviving settlement on Gielinor. As some of her beloved elves began to die of old age Seren became resolved in extending their lifespans. She did so, but at a cost: inexplicably tying them to her. When outside of her presence for too long the elves would become sick and feverish, eventually dying. Seren describes this as her greatest mistake. Beliefs Seren is a pacifist, shying violence as much as she can. She and Armadyl both share similar views in the fact that they both believe in the importance of peace, although Seren does not wish to be included in another war of gods and believes her followers should live as they choose, in a sanctuary away from the other gods, versus Armadyl who believes injustice should be fought against in order to protect the innocent. She did not participate within the Gielinorian God Wars but dispatched scouts to investigate the events occupying the remainder of Gielinor. Whilst she once believed in co-existence and that all of the gods and races of Gielinor have the capacity to share Gielinor in peace and harmony with one another she now shares Guthix's view that gods should not interfere in the lives of mortals. Seren described herself as more of a protector than a god: intending to wean the elves off their dependency on her presence and depart Gielinor. A more unique trait is the value she places in union. Her views are expressed in the Cerddi, which includes the wish to survive "the hostile world" with the elven clans united. She is affiliated with light and life in addition to harmony and peace: teaching her followers to live at one with the world and to keep its anima mundi replenished and bountiful. Seren is described to be loving and physically beautiful. With her return in the Sixth Age, Seren has established that she no longer wishes to preside over her followers by instead allowing her followers to govern over her actions. She has informed the Clan Elders of her intentions to shut herself away from the elves in the Tower of Voices so to break their dependency upon her presence whilst also attending to the threat of the Elder Gods and the Great Revision. These are views which Guthix shared, with Seren recognising that the Elder Gods should be kept asleep indefinitely by attentively controlling the anima mundi whilst keeping it replenished and bountiful. With the awakening of the Elder Gods during Sliske's Endgame the player may share elements of the Elder Gods plans with Seren, if the player does so Seren promises to support the player in preventing the Elder Gods from enacting the Great Revision in the future. Seren is present in all elven crystal, which symbolically represents the core views of Seren. Elven crystal's toughness is derived from Seren's unending devotion to her followers. Its balanced proportion highlights her amicable nature and its growth illustrates Seren's care for all things that grow. Cardinal virtues As seen in The Light Within, Seren preaches four key virtues: * Integrity'. To maintain one's courage, one's principles, despite all opposition and influence. This is a foundation stronger than any stone. * '''''Harmony. This is the virtue that binds all others together. We are all bound by the Anima Mundi, the energy that flows between all creation. From the greatest gods to the smallest insects, all are linked together. Worlds are the heart in which the Anima rests. When we are in harmony with the world around us, we strengthen the Anima and we strengthen ourselves and each other. * ''Prudence. This is the virtue that protects the others. Too often life presents us with a curse disguised as a gift. Be cautious and be prepared for all things: there are snakes in the grass, be watchful of their movement.'' * ''Wisdom. This is the virtue that allows all other virtues to work. It is not enough to know or have something, but to be aware of how and when to use it. Gold is worthless if simply hoarded. It is only when it is spent that it can enact change. Be mindful of the changes you would make to the world and know how to make them happen.'' History Prifddinas Prior to The Light Within, a fragment of Seren is upstairs from the Tower of Voices by the Memoriam. The fragment of Seren plays a dialogue when various items including the Shard of Zaros, any non-lucky and non-gold godsword, a dragon rider amulet, the Measure, any non-elder Divination energy, corrupted ore and the Enchanted Key are used on it. * The fragment of Seren will give the message, "The fragment of Seren seems lost in thought." if too many items are used with it in a certain period. * The title the Fractured is unlocked when a non-elder energy is used on the fragment of Seren. * The title the Corrupted is unlocked when using a Corrupted ore on the fragment of Seren. * The title Dark Elf is unlocked when you attempt to attack Seren with an unsheathed weapon while having the Clan Iorwerth cape equipped. * The title the Elfborne is unlocked when using either bread, a chocolate bar, or a bacon mound on the fragment of Seren, while having the other two items in the inventory. If you completed The Light Within then you simply need to speak to Seren with the required items. * The Lord of the Wait title is unlocked when resting in front of Seren in her non-fragment form, with the required Clan Hefin cape on after the Light Within. Before the quest the title is unlocked by resting on her fragments. Followers There are currently three active areas of Seren worship, all of which are located within Tirannwn. The city of Prifddinas houses the majority of Seren altars in Gielinor. In addition, an altar dedicated to the goddess can also be found on Freneskae. Seren worship has largely remained confined to Tirannwn as a result of Seren and the elves isolating themselves from the other gods and mortal races during the God Wars. The elves - led by King Baxtorian of the Cadarn Clan - were able to expand their influence eastwards into the human kingdom of Kandarin in the Fourth Age. However, this was short lived after the Iorwerth Clan seized control of the city of Prifddinas. The Cadarn were forced to abandon their holdings in Kandarin to respond to the Iorwerth threat and worship for the goddess of Seren did not take root in the kingdom. Beyond the elven lands Seren's emissary, Endwyr, spreads the word of Seren in Port Sarim. Iorwerth chapel.png|A chapel dedicated to the worship of Seren found in the Iorwerth district of Prifddinas Prifddinas Hefin Cathedral.png|The central place of Seren worship on Gielinor is the Hefin cathedral in Prifddinas Chapel of Seren.png|A chapel of Seren found in the village of Lletya Below are a list of creatures which are affiliated with the Goddess of Seren. * Elves * Dire wolves * Grenwalls * Black bears * Light creatures * Crystal Shapeshifter * Falcons (Armies of Gielinor) * Wolves (Heart of Gielinor) Relationships Mah Mah was an Elder God who was responsible for the creation of Seren and Zaros. Mah instilled both Zaros and Seren with a need to remain close to both her and each other. Following Zaros's departure from Freneskae, Seren opted to remain behind so to care for Mah. This was due to the fact that she felt obliged to do so and pitied Mah, whom she felt feared emotional isolation. Seren wished to leave Mah when she was stable enough to support herself, however Mah's nightmares intensified and the anima of Freneskae became scarce, forcing a broken-hearted Seren to teach the Mahjarrat tribes of the rituals of enervation and rejuvenation as a means of preventing Mah from ripping the planet apart and depart Freneskae, as she was powerless in helping Mah recover. Following her departure, Seren became aware that what Mah did to Zaros and herself was wrong, even though it felt right at the time. In the Children of Mah quest the player explores Mah's subconscious with the help of Seren to prevent Mah's nightmares from manifesting and tearing apart the planet of Freneskae. With the player's help, Seren learns that Mah's life force has been corrupted, leaving her in a state of torment. Seren expresses her strong feelings of affection towards her creator, but ultimately decides to mercy kill Mah to relieve her of her pain. She resents Zaros for his part in their creator's death. Zaros Seren and Zaros were created by the Elder God Mah. Zaros was a controlling character on Freneskae according to Seren, and attempted to manipulate and control everything around him. They were made as companions for one another, sharing a strong interest in each other when in close proximity so to bind them to Mah. As time wore on Zaros and Seren became disillusioned by the emotions which Mah had manufactured between them. Zaros informed Seren of his intentions to abandon Mah on Freneskae, whose life no longer merited his care according to him, and invited Seren to join him in exploring the Multiverse and ascending to Elder Godhood. Zaros believed in empowering himself to create the "perfect universe" as was his "birthright" yet Seren argued that such actions threatened existence itself as it could inadvertently awaken the Elder Gods and bring forth the Great Revision. Believing that mortals should live their own lives, rather than by being controlled by divine beings, Seren told Zaros that she would spend the entirety of her life opposing him from achieving his goal to ascend. In the Second Age, Zaros knew from the moment he arrived on Gielinor that his old companion was present but avoided confronting her until he needed her help. Zaros then sent a reconnaissance party to Seren during the Second Age and stole the World Gate from her after she refused to help him. The relationship between the two remains complex. Whilst Zaros is concealing when referring to Seren, and refuses to say much about her, he is nevertheless pleased if the player chooses to serve her, hoping that they will protect her in exchange for her guidance. Seren remains opposed to Zaros and distrusts him deeply, according to Seren "they are not on the best of terms", however by being her brother she still has feelings of affection towards him. Dark Lord The Dark Lord is a mysterious entity whose identity was initially unknown. It is clear that the Dark Lord shares a connection to Seren as the thoughts of the Dark Lord seem to reflect those of Seren's in certain instances. They both share a deep interest in the elves, however, the Dark Lord is transfixed upon death. The Dark Lord appears to have shared many of Seren's experiences, such as Seren's first encounter with the elves and when Seren taught the elves how to chant crystal. In her desire to break the elves dependency of being in her presence, Seren and the Iorwerth developed a series of rituals using death energy in the Undergound Pass, leading to the Iorwerth becoming tied to the few "dark" impulses of Seren: this would later manifest itself with the Iorwerth abandoning Seren in favour of the Dark Lord. It is revealed in Plague's End that the Dark Lord is a dark manifestation of Seren, which Seren opposed and banished upon shattering through her proxy, Haluned, fearing the effect that the Dark Lord might have upon her followers whilst she was in an incorporeal state. She warned her followers of the dangers that the Dark Lord could bring upon them should it be released, so the elves imprisoned the Dark Lord in the Temple of Light. Despite this, the Iorwerth were tied to the Dark Lord who, under the influence of the Death Altar in the Temple of Light, became apathetic and purely consumed by a desire to witness death. This lead to the elven civil war. As part of the Light Within the player has the opportunity to incorporate the crystalline remains of the Dark Lord, found in the Grand Library, as part of Seren. Guthix Seren's relationship with Guthix was an extremely close one, as Guthix himself described "we grew close, and I had no intention of abandoning her." Seren enjoyed the company of Guthix and he would regularly visit her and the elves of Tarddiad. Despite growing wary of Guthix's powers, she chose to accept Guthix's proposal that she and her followers, the elves, join him on Gielinor. They shared similar views on balance and harmony. Seren's memories suggest that she began to develop feelings of affection towards Guthix after becoming aware that Guthix was not corrupted by increased power. After his departure Seren remained on Gielinor with her elves despite promising Guthix that she would join him in time. However, she honoured her word to him by isolating herself from the young gods. Her steadfast belief in non-interference would anger Zaros when the two finally confronted each other on Gielinor, resulting in him stealing the World Gate from her. Seren shattered after being forced to leave Gielinor by Guthix - who visited her last. Guthix knew that Seren could eventually be restored to her former self, being visited by the World Guardian before the events transpired through the magical properties of the enchanted key, where he admires Seren's sacrifice and guides the player in restoring Seren in the Sixth Age. After reforming in the Sixth Age, Seren remains in mourning over the death of Guthix, who she still holds feelings of affection for. Seren does not resent the Edicts which he enforced upon her and the other younger gods, and instead intends to isolate herself from the presence of the elves to break their dependency upon her, believing that Gielinor should be free of the influence of the gods as Guthix did. Other gods Seren has a positive relationship with Brassica Prime, the god of cabbage, who she regards as a caretaker of the anima mundi. She is open to forging an alliance with the god of justice, Armadyl, in the future. Her relationship with Zamorak, the god of chaos, is a poor one as a result of his betrayal of her brother Zaros and she believes that Bandos's death has had a positive impact upon Gielinor. During the Sliske's Endgame quest the player may convince Seren to strike a deal with Armadyl, the Aviantese god of justice, offering to share the elven homeplane of Tarddiad with the Aviantese of Abbinah. Armadyl and Seren both leave open the potential of an alliance with one another by the end of the quest. Saradomin and Seren also meet with one another during Sliske's Endgame, departing on friendly terms. References Main:Divine Beings